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Is Vitamin K Deficiency Killing You?
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 | | Greens are a source of Vitamin K |
If your like the typical American your health may be compromised by not getting adequate vitamin K. It is an essential nutrient for blood clotting. Without adequate vitamin K cuts don't stop bleeding. This is the best known and most immediately critical consequence of a vitamin K deficiency - excessive bleeding. However, we are learning more and more about vitamin K as there has been a lot of research on the effects of this vitamin in recent years.
Vitamin K also plays a role in the functioning of proteins that play a role in calcium metabolism. Without adequate vitamin K, these proteins don't work well. One of these proteins, called osteocalcin, plays a role in transporting calcium into bone. If you lack vitamin K what do you think that will mean for your bones? They will be weaker. It doesn't matter if you have good calcium and vitamin D intake - if your vitamin K status is not optimal your bones will suffer. Studies have found vitamin K supplements increase bone health and protect against fractures.
Other vitamin K-dependent proteins help keep calcium out of arteries. This is a good thing. Calcified, stiff arteries increase blood pressure and are part of cardiovascular disease.
Unfortunately, many patients are instructed to avoid eating vitamin K-rich foods. Why? Because they are taking a medication called Coumadin or Warfarin. These are medications that stop the blood from clotting. Patients are prescribed these for cardiovascular conditions that may benefit from reduced clot formation, such as atrial fibrillation. By avoiding vitamin K-rich foods, many of these patients wind up with calcified aortic valves. Thankfully, there are other options to these medications. What's more, people on Coumadin and Warfarin really should be getting a consistent high dose of vitamin K.
Vitamin K has other benefits. It helps the functioning of the important hormone insulin. Up to half of all Americans may have some impairment in insulin functioning. (Click here for more on insulin problems ).
Vitamin K deficiency leads to chromosome damage. The result is an increased incidence of a number of types of cancer.
Vitamin K is found in lots of vegetables, including green vegetables, and in natto, egg yolks and cheese. Vitamin K is also made by intestinal bacteria.
This vitamin is in the class of vitamins called fat-soluble. Certain medications may impair vitamin K absorption. Other reasons for low vitamin K status include inadequate intake, maldigestion-malabpsortion syndromes, and things that destroy normal intestinal bacteria- like antibiotic treatment.
Any medical lab can run a blood vitamin K level but this is of limited value. The reference ranges are established for seemingly adequate levels to assure proper blood clotting. This level is less than what is needed for the other functions of vitamin K. The best test for vitamin K is a functional test done by Metametrix Lab (see side bar).
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